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rubeusbeaky 's review for:
Thorn
by Intisar Khanani
This book is the literal opposite of a Sarah J Maas book. In a typical SJM, the leading lady is daring and outspoken. She is outmatched in a bloodthirsty game of Fae courtly intrigue, but through friendships, alliances, training and resilience, she grows to be her enemies' equal in strength and superior in righteousness. She is often the subject of multiple characters' affections, and must be careful to whom she trusts her heart.
In Thorn... *weary sigh*...
1) The main character is a coward. She flees every opportunity to interact with another human being, preferring the cozy company of barnyard animals. She knows she has been cursed by a Fae, and refuses the repeated offers for help from the only other magical person she knows! Even when the plot forces her into a conflict, she either runs away, or blacks out and gets rescued, until the last 30-40 pages of the book when she talks the Fae-tagonist into simply letting her go out of mercy.
2) The typical YA Fantasy love triangle is set up, but not explored in any way. The protagonist actively tries to avoid both the magical prince and the prince-of-thieves, spending huge portions of the book wandering the pastures and streets in contemplation. Even though both young men offer her friendship, she declines, and accepts her ill fate almost contently. Even as other women and children in the kingdom suffer under the courtly drama that the protagonist will do nothing to address, she refuses to "play The Game of Thrones" as it were, fearing that both offers of friendship are disingenuous (despite an enormous amount of evidence to the contrary!). It takes her until the last 100 pages to seek them out, and by then it is too late to protect anyone. Lives could have been spared if the protagonist had interacted with anyone in any way: platonically, romantically, manipulatively - in any single way!
3) The moral of the story seems to be "If you see something, say something." Because for 40o pages, the protagonist witnesses abuse, but keeps to herself. And in the last 60 pages, she has a philosophical debate with every major character about the nature of Justice, and she talks the villain into giving up her bloody revenge. This confrontation is presented as a moment of strength and growth, as if the protagonist speaks for all women wronged throughout history. But it comes across hypocritical, pathetic, and unearned, given how much her own inaction harmed everyone around her. It's dissatisfying to have a realm full of dangerous magical enemies threatening a climactic confrontation... and it all boils down to some girl saying, "Don't."
4) The magic of this world is pointless. It doesn't mirror the protagonist's own personal growth. It isn't used in creative, karmic fashion. Things set up in the beginning do not matter for the conclusion. This entire story could have been told without magic, and it would have been the same book.
About 200 pages in, the protagonist was thinking to herself while out in the pasture: "I wish I could skip to the end of my story." If the main character didn't want to be in her own book, why on earth would any reader. SKIP!
In Thorn... *weary sigh*...
1) The main character is a coward. She flees every opportunity to interact with another human being, preferring the cozy company of barnyard animals. She knows she has been cursed by a Fae, and refuses the repeated offers for help from the only other magical person she knows! Even when the plot forces her into a conflict, she either runs away, or blacks out and gets rescued, until the last 30-40 pages of the book when she talks the Fae-tagonist into simply letting her go out of mercy.
2) The typical YA Fantasy love triangle is set up, but not explored in any way. The protagonist actively tries to avoid both the magical prince and the prince-of-thieves, spending huge portions of the book wandering the pastures and streets in contemplation. Even though both young men offer her friendship, she declines, and accepts her ill fate almost contently. Even as other women and children in the kingdom suffer under the courtly drama that the protagonist will do nothing to address, she refuses to "play The Game of Thrones" as it were, fearing that both offers of friendship are disingenuous (despite an enormous amount of evidence to the contrary!). It takes her until the last 100 pages to seek them out, and by then it is too late to protect anyone. Lives could have been spared if the protagonist had interacted with anyone in any way: platonically, romantically, manipulatively - in any single way!
3) The moral of the story seems to be "If you see something, say something." Because for 40o pages, the protagonist witnesses abuse, but keeps to herself. And in the last 60 pages, she has a philosophical debate with every major character about the nature of Justice, and she talks the villain into giving up her bloody revenge. This confrontation is presented as a moment of strength and growth, as if the protagonist speaks for all women wronged throughout history. But it comes across hypocritical, pathetic, and unearned, given how much her own inaction harmed everyone around her. It's dissatisfying to have a realm full of dangerous magical enemies threatening a climactic confrontation... and it all boils down to some girl saying, "Don't."
4) The magic of this world is pointless. It doesn't mirror the protagonist's own personal growth. It isn't used in creative, karmic fashion. Things set up in the beginning do not matter for the conclusion. This entire story could have been told without magic, and it would have been the same book.
About 200 pages in, the protagonist was thinking to herself while out in the pasture: "I wish I could skip to the end of my story." If the main character didn't want to be in her own book, why on earth would any reader. SKIP!